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April 9, 2012

Facilities to Bibi

No major violations: DIG Jails 
Jalandhar, April 9
Even as DGP Jails Shashi Kant today said he was yet to receive a copy of the inquiry report on the alleged VIP treatment being given to Bibi Jagir Kaur in the Modern Jail, Kapurthala, he said the brief given to him on the matter did not point to any major violation.

Hinting at a clean chit to jail officials, the DGP said the inquiry did not bring to forth any major violation by the Jail Superintendent and other staff members.
Regarding the use of a private vehicle for transferring Bibi Jagir Kaur to the jail, he said: “ The IG has put on record certain letters from the security wing which say that Bibi being a dera leader had to be provided security personnel.
The Jail Superintendent has stated that he had asked the local SSP to send force and a vehicle which, perhaps, he did not.”
On the LCD and dish facility for Bibi, he said a jail employee had bought these items for his own self. Kant said the IG had quoted the jail manual which, he said, gave special powers to the Jail Superintendent to facilitate meetings with the convict anywhere in the premises under his supervision.
On the supply of food items, the DGP said: “Since we have allowed it to other prisoners as part of welfare measures, Bibi is no exception.” The IG Jails, Jagjit Singh, said he had submitted his inquiry report to the DGP.

Century-old miniature Guru Granth Sahib on display in Rajpura

Patiala, April 9
Devotees thronged Gurdwara Singh Sabha at Rajpura today to catch a glimpse of 100-year-old Guru Granth Sahib that is one inch in size and contains 1,430 ang (pages).

Head granthi (priest) Bhai Kashmir Singh and granthi Kulwinder Singh of Gurdwara Maithan Sahib in Agra, who are in Rajpura with this holy book along with a 224-year-old Guru Granth Sahib, written using dyes made out of rock, and a 275-year-old Guru Granth Granth Sahib, handwritten by Baba Deep Singh and Bhai Mani Singh, were overwhelmed by a large number of devotees thronging the gurdwara to see the holy books and narrated the story of how these holy scriptures reached the Agra gurdwara.
Narrating the history of the miniature manuscript, Kulwinder Singh said in 1913 when the World War-I was going on, the Indian Army (then British Indian Army) was called to fight for the common cause. “During that time, soldiers of Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army said they would not go to the battleground without taking Guru Granth Sahib along with them. Therefore, the British Government got 13 miniatures of Guru Granth Sahib prepared from a printing press in Germany for these soldiers. Each of these was 1 inch in size and contained 1,430 pages, which were carried by the soldiers. There used to be a special lens for reading the holy book. One of these is safely kept at Gurdwara Maithan Sahib in Agra,” he said.
He said the 224-year-old holy book made from rock dyes was prepared by two Muslim brothers in five years seven months and three days and weighs around 28 to 30 kg. Moreover, the handwritten Guru Granth Sahibh has a few pages written using gold, ruby and sapphire.
He said, “These books are currently on a tour of various cities to provide Sikhs in other parts of the country an opportunity to see and learn from the history of their religion and scriptures. We brought these books to Ludhiana on January 21 and it was displayed for the first time at Shaheed Baba Dalip Singh Chowk, Model Town, Ludhiana. Later, it was taken to Khanna, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nakodar and now it will be in Rajpura for 15 days.”

Manpreet: 5% vote share creditable feat

Nawanshahr, April 9
Building a political party committed to overhauling the system of governance is not a 100 metres race that can be completed in a short while. It is a marathon event that needs a lot of perseverance, said People’s Party of Punjab (PP) chief Manpreet Singh Badal while addressing party workers here on yesterday. The meeting was organised as part of a series of meetings at district headquarters to strengthen the party organisation at the grassroots level.

Manpreet said it was creditable that a party facing elections in the first year of its formation had succeeded in getting 5 per cent of the total votes polled. Besides, the PPP had made the main political parties - Congress and SAD-BJP- jittery.
"The day people begin to take to the idea of effecting a revolutionary change in the system of governance, both these parties based on status quo will be wiped out,” maintained Manpreet.
He exhorted the party workers not to be demoralised by the poll outcome but to strengthen the party organisation at grassroots level.
The presidents of district units and various wings of the party would be nominated in two weeks.
The party candidates in the recent assembly elections would be entrusted with the responsibility of constituting "constituency councils" in their respective segments by May 15.
Each such council would have at least 300 members. A sum of Re 1 per day party fund would be charged from the members. Abhitej Sandhu, Darshan Lal Mangupur and Kamaljit Nahar were among those who spoke on the occasion.

Punjab to face storage problem

Chandigarh, April 9
The Baisakhi season may not bring much cheer to various government agencies procuring wheat in Punjab and Haryana. Grappling with the problem of storage space in view of the slow movement of wheat and paddy from these states and faced with yet another bumper harvest, the agencies would face a tough task in storing the additional wheat to be procured by them.

The wheat arrival is expected to begin only after Baisakhi, the state government's procurement agencies as well as the Food Corporation of India would face a tough task with 115 lakh metric tonnes of wheat expected to arrive in mandis of Punjab and 70 lakh metric tonnes of wheat expected to be procured by various agencies in Haryana. The godowns in the two states are already full to their capacity with the produce from last year having not been moved to the recipient states.
Sources inform The Tribune that the total storage capacity in the state is 200 lakh metric tonnes. Already 51 lakh tonnes of wheat and 67 lakh tonnes of rice are lying in the state's godowns. With the state expected to procure another 115 lakh tonnes of wheat, it would have no space to store 32 lakh tonnes of the new wheat.
Similarly in Haryana, the total food grain storage space is 90 lakh tonnes, of which 48.55 lakh tonnes is covered. But again the godowns are filled with 56 lakh tonnes of wheat, 12 lakh tonnes of rice and 90,000 tonnes of bajra in the godowns. With 70 lakh tonnes of wheat crop likely to be procured in this season, Haryana, too, will face a shortage of space to store the new grains.
In the past three years, a little has been done to increase the food grain storage space in the two states. While Haryana has added only five lakh metric tonnes of new storage space, Punjab has added 12 lakh metric tonnes of new storage space till March this year. This is woefully less than the required space, and not even in consonance with the increase in crop production each year.
What has made the matter worse is that more than 90 per cent of the total wheat produced in the two states will have to be purchased by the state procurement agencies as well as the FCI. This is mainly because of the high taxes on wheat being purchased by private traders, who have shunned the two states for buying wheat. As against the MSP of Rs 1,285 per quintal, a private trader has to cough up Rs 1,450 to Rs 1,500 per quintal in case he buys wheat from here, after including purchase tax, commission of commission agents and other expenses. He then finds it favourable to buy the crop from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where the wheat is sold, sometimes at prices below the MSP.
Bumper harvest
The total storage capacity of Punjab is 200 lakh metric tones
Already 51 lakh tonnes of wheat and 67 lakh tonnes of rice are lying in the state's godowns
The state government is expected to procure another 115 lakh tonnes of wheat. It would have no space to store 32 lakh tonnes of the new crop 
NABARD to extend financial support
The NABARD is likely to extend financial support of Rs 500 crore to Punjab under the NABARD Warehousing (Refinance) Scheme, 2012. Under this initiative, the NABARD extends financial support to banks at a concessional rate of eight per cent for setting up warehousing facilities in the state. "The scheme was launched in September last year and we extended financial support of Rs 245 crore to banks in Punjab, which will help create 6.7 lakh metric tonnes of new storage capacity. This year, we are likely to double this line of credit. Interest subvention of 1.5 per cent is also given to those who make timely payments and those completing the warehouses on time," said Krishan Jindal, chief general manager, NABARD.

Zardari’s visit did scatter some dark clouds over Indo-Pak firmament


Charles Maurice de Talleyrand was the greatest French diplomat of the 18th and 19th centuries. His advice to budding diplomats was, “Surtout, messieurs, point de zele” (Above all, gentlemen, not the slightest zeal). Similarly, we should resist zeal, especially in our dealings with Pakistan.
I claim a vested interest in having close and good neighbourly relations with Pakistan. I have parleyed with the highest levels of Pakistani leadership since 1980 when I was Ambassador to Pakistan and then as Minister of State and Foreign Minister.
My experience tells me that three fundamental truths should be borne in mind whenever officials and leaders meet to tackle relations between our two countries. 1) These are accident-prone. 2) In certain areas, the future of Indo-Pak relations lies in the past. C) No Government of India or Pakistan can make substantial compromise or concessions on Jammu and Kashmir.
On the highways and byways of India and Pakistan, red lights appear more often than green ones. Unfortunately, the wings of angels do not flap over the Indo-Pak terrain. Too often history has taken the wrong turn. Indo-Pak landscapes are littered with the debris of unimplemented joint statements, joint commissions, working groups, no-war pacts, agreements etc.
President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spent 40 minutes together. All subjects including Sir Creek, Siachen, trade, terrorism, the visa regime on both sides, MFN status, the composite dialogue...even 26/11 and Hafiz Saeed...also Kashmir were “discussed”. Indeed an impressive list.
Many of these issues have been on the table for decades. Yet, even modest progress is deserves respect. The atmosphere was friendly, cordial and relaxed.
President Zardari is an ebullient extrovert. Dr Manmohan Singh a dedicated introvert. In diplomacy, at times, opposites get on well. The Pakistani President timed his religious-cum-diplomatic visit well. He did not put a foot wrong, neither did the Indian Prime Minister.
The invitation to Manmohan Singh to visit the land of his birth was expected. Prime Ministers Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were received in Pakistan with greater warmth. In each case, the goodwill evaporated rapidly.
Will Manmohan’s visit materialise? I hope it does. It will be a risky undertaking. On a number of occasions, the Indo-Pak diplomatic weather has improved, but the climate has never changed.
The Prime Minister is no doubt aware that he would be taking a calculated risk. Terrorism is a horrifying menace. However, it is not a permanent feature. It will abate, as it has in other parts of the world. So will state terrorism.
Both countries are nuclear-weapons powers. India has a nuclear doctrine - no first use. Pakistan does not. Will the Prime Minister convince his hosts to alter their nuclear policy?
Finally to Kashmir. For almost 65 years, a broad national consensus has existed.
One does not associate anything romantic or sentimental in Dr Manmohan Singh’s character. But he has a chink in his armour, as we all do. He sincerely believes that destiny has chosen him to solve this intractable problem. Alas! Dr Manmohan Singh and President Zardari are in office, but neither is in command.
The speculation that he might be in Islamabad by September is, in my judgement, premature. The PM has declared on a number of occasions that he would undertake his journey when something substantial is assured. So, between now and September, much will have to be done.
Our government should work out its priorities. It must proceed empirically. The less-important issues - Sir Creek, Siachen are ready to be resolved.
First, the composite dialogue must be immediately set into motion. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will no doubt go well prepared when he visit Islamabad. He will, by now, have become familiar of the intricacies and complexities of the bilateral relationship. He should keep in mind that the geo-political and security concerns of the two countries are not similar.
An incoherent internal situation in Pakistan will make it difficult for M/s Zardari and Gilani to give in their geo-political and security interests, unless the ISI and the army give their consent.
Pakistan has its hands full in Afghanistan. It does not feel comfortable with India’s rightful involvement in Afghanistan. A common Indo-Pak policy on Afghanistan is not conceivable.
By the time the Prime Minister goes to Pakistan, he will have worked out his Kashmir policy. How far can he go, and how far will coalition dharma allow him a free hand has to be seen. Reduction of our forces is an option, but here too he will require the consent of Opposition parties.
Zardari suggested that the India should improve relations between the two nations. I had suggested this to our Pakistani friends several times. At the time, there were no takers. If Zardari could put Kashmir on the back burner, as China and India have done with the border question, much all-round progress can be made.
Can Zardari deliver? There exists a strong and fanatical anti-India lobby in Pakistan. Even the forward-looking Imran Khan has a very rigid stance on Kashmir. He talks of self-determination. There are other forces too who have a similar agenda.
Zardari’s pilgrimage to Ajmer carries its own message of goodwill. His visit has, in a limited way, caused a break in the dark clouds hovering over the Indo-Pak firmament. For this, we must thank him. His passage to India was well-timed.

23 guilty for post-Godhra riots

Ode village carnage: Sentencing on April 12, prosecution seeks capital punishment for convicted
Anand, April 9
A decade after 23 persons, including 18 women and children, were burnt alive by a mob in Gujarat's Ode village in this district during the post-Godhra riots, a court here today convicted 23 accused and let off as many in a case it described as "rarest of rare".

District and Sessions Judge Poonam Singh held 23 of the 47 accused guilty. She will pronounce the quantum of sentence on April 12. One of the accused died during trial.
Twenty-three persons, including nine women and as many children of the minority community, were burnt to death in a house in Pirwali Bhagol area of Ode village by a mob of over 1,500 on March 1, 2002 following the Godhra train burning incident that had triggered communal conflagration across the state.
Special public prosecutor PN Parmar said the court considered the incident to be "rarest of the rare". He said of the 23 persons found guilty, 18 were convicted for murder and criminal conspiracy and five for attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy.
The Ode carnage case is the third of the nine cases probed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT in which judgment has been delivered.
Earlier, a court had awarded the death sentence to 11 and life term to 20 in the Godhra train burning incident in which 58 persons, mostly kar sevaks, had been killed on February 27, 2002.
The second case was that of Sardarpura village in Mehsana district in which 31 persons were awarded life term and 42 others acquitted. Thirty-three Muslims had been burnt alive at Sardarpura in Mehsana district during the 2002 communal riots.
Riot victims and those working to secure justice for them have hailed the judgment. Teesta Setalvad of NGO Citizen for Justice and Peace, working for the riot victims, welcomed the judgment and said she was satisfied with it.
The prosecution has sought capital punishment for all those convicted for the Ode massacre, Special public prosecutor PN Parmar said. He said more than 150 witnesses were examined and over 170 documentary evidences placed before the court during the trial.
The trial in the case had commenced towards the end of 2009 and was on the verge of completion when the then judge hearing the case resigned in May 2011, citing personal reasons, following which Judge Poonam Singh was appointed and arguments heard afresh.
March 1, 2002: A mob attacks houses and business establishments of the minority community in the small village of Ode
Rioters first attack houses in the Surewalil Bhagol area, but flee when the police arrive and open fire. A youth, Nisith Patel, dies in firing
Rioters regroup, target eight minority community homes in the Pirawali Bhagol area of the village
Mob lobs petrol-filled pouches and burning rags into houses where members of the minority community are taking shelter
Houses under attack set on fire, reduced to ashes
23 persons hiding in one of the houses burnt to death. Remains of only two found
An elderly man, Akbar Khan Pathan, and his son Mohammad Khan survive. Both are key prosecution witnesses
March 2, 2002: Incident comes to light as most members of the community had fled the village. Police registers case
March 3, 2002: Mob attacks, kills Rasoolmiya, who had stayed back in the village.